Top 4 Draft: Lovespell vs. The Jokas

Toby Wachter

No one should be surprised to see Lovespell in the Top 4. Eric Froehlich, Alex Borteh and Chris Benafel are three relatively young, yet very accomplished players. Borteh and Benafel have earned quite a bit of money over their careers, and Froehlich burst upon the Pro Tour scene with a Top 8 finish at Pro Tour San Diego. Consistent finishes since then have caused Randy Buehler to call Froehlich "the hottest player in America today". On the other hand, The Jokas are a bit less known. Eric James and Norman Woods aren't familiar names to the average Pro Tour fan. In fact, Kyle Rose may not be either. Even though Rose has quite the resume with a National Championship and Pro Tour Championship under his belt, his presence is not quite as strong as other personalities on the circuit. Still, his skills should not be underestimated, and his accomplishments speak for themselves.

Judgment resulted in a strange occurrence: three Wonders in six packs. One was counterdrafted, one went to Rose, and the other went to Borteh. Woods added even more gas to his already incredible green/red deck with Ernham Djinn, and Arcane Teachings. Benafel kept right up, with a pair of Sudden Strengths. Another interesting moment saw The Jokas gladly pass along a Guiltfeeder to Borteh, taking Vigilant Sentry and Anurid Barkripper. They made a few motions to suggest they were not concerned with the potentially devastating black creature, since Borteh was facing James' black deck anyway. As a result, the Guiltfeeder's Fear effect would be much less of a concern, and the potential for damage was drastically reduced. As the packs winded down, Borteh got Filth, which has potential to bust any stalemates wide open in his favor.